After winning the Mercer County Girls Cross Country Championship Meet last October, the talk was all about how the Robbinsville High seniors were finally able to claim the big prize in their final year.
There was no concerned discussion at the time about how the Ravens would replace standout runners like Juli Swift, Jackie Lazzaro and Lisa Leszcynski.
As it turned out, there didn’t need to be.
In gearing up for this year’s county meet, the Ravens went 12-1 in dual meets and breezed to their third straight Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division championship.
And they did it despite the fact their No. 2 and No. 5 runners, juniors Paris Hughes and Lauren Piccione, went down with injuries.
“It is nice to win the division for the third year in a row,” coach Mike Walker said. “This is a tough division and conference overall, especially with the Hopewell Valleys, Allentowns, West Windsors and Princetons always finishing as top teams at the sectional meets. It is just one goal of many we set up for the season, but it is nice to get it nonetheless.”
Senior Alexis Stringfellow, a co-captain with Maggie O’Toole, is part of a solid five-girl pack that also features standout junior Julia Borowski and sophomores Annalise Celano, Makenzie Bayless and Erin Holzbaur.
“Coming into this season we knew we were gonna have to really step it up,” Stringfellow said. “Our top seven was mainly seniors, this season our coach knew we had to all step it up and we all trusted each other to work really hard.
“We’re all doing PRs (personal records) and running much better than last season. We just lost a couple girls (to injury) from our top seven and after that we knew if we were going to win the division we’d have to work harder. We’re pretty confident and we’re getting better.”
Considering she is the lone senior among the top seven, it’s no wonder Stringfellow got the nickname “Mother” at cross country camp in the Poconos last year.
“I was the oldest at camp and they just started calling me that, and now I’m sort of like the team den mother,” Stringfellow said with a laugh. “That usually entails listening to what all the kids have to say.
“We’re all pretty much a family and we’re all friends even outside of running. If we have an issue it can be resolved. It’s really just a cohesive group of people. We all get along so well and that translates into something productive during meets.”
Walker has high praise for Stringfellow’s competitive spirit, noting that she usually has her best races against the toughest competition. The coach feels the mom moniker fits perfectly.
“That is a great way to describe her influence on the team,” Walker said. “She is a good kid that you can tell is a good friend to the girls on the team. Alexis and Maggie have continued a great tradition of amazing team captains that the team has been lucky to have. The girls keep me grounded and the team focused, but also keep the team atmosphere fun and inviting. Each year there are new challenges, and these two girls are going a great job keeping the ship right and moving forward.”
Although fine with her title, Stringfellow insists O’Toole also has maternal instincts.
“We both do the exact same things, but I kind of got the name,” she said. “But we both do pasta parties, make shirts for after meets, make sure to get connected with the underclassmen. That’s how a family gets a little tighter and a little more understanding of each other.”
The Ravens’ success has much to do with how tight they are on the course as well. Walker wants to keep the top five within one minute of each other, although Borowski can stray a bit.
“She was one of our top runners last year,” the coach said. “She has emerged as the link between the great team we had the past few seasons and this year’s newer group. She is the workhorse that sets the tone in workouts and races.
“The goal of our top five is to keep the gap under one minute. That is challenging since Julia keeps getting faster and pushing up front during races, but the rest of the girls are following along and so far are keeping the gap close.”
“Julia has definitely been our top girl,” added Stringfellow. “We can always rely on her because she’s such a hard worker. But during the season we’ve been moving closer together.”
As for the sophomore group, Celano has emerged as the No. 2 runner with Hughes out, and Bayless has followed suit by picking up her pace.
“Annalise did not back down from the challenge when the team needed her to perform even better,” Walker said. “She is running with a lot of confidence now.
“Makenzie stepped up much the same way as Annalise. She ran solid races last year and would always give a tough, competitive performance. She is making a nice transition into varsity competition.”
Holzbaur switched over from soccer but had running experience in the 800 on the track team last year.
“I wasn’t sure how that would translate to the trails,” Walker said. “Erin has done a great job figuring out how to race the 5K, and I think she will be a top end runner after the experience of this season.”
Walker is hoping for a Top 3 finish by Robbinsville at the Central Jersey Group II meet and a Top 4 in the NJSIAA meet. Stringfellow feels the tightness of the Ravens pack during races will continue to play a huge part in their success.
“We know we can rely on each other to come in right after each other to get those points,” she said. “We know who we can run with and we usually rely on each other to keep us motivated during the race and we stay in our pack. If someone gets behind or ahead we know we can keep with them because it’s a team effort. It’s not all about getting there first, it’s about winning the meet.”
Robbinsville has won its share of meets over the years and Stringfellow feels the success of this season’s young team is a tribute to the program that Walker has built. It’s basically a matter of the next group taking the reins.
“I’ve seen so many past senior classes and been inspired by everyone,” she said. “The last class that just graduated I was most connected with and it was such a close group of people, that’s where I got the whole family and camaraderie feeling.
“They knew they had to work together and stay strong and win, that inspired me to lead this team and do something we could be proud of and keep legacy going.”
She certainly has done that, with a little help from her daughters.
